Stepping Forward

How do we get from here to there? 

We have the vision: a learning ecosystem centered on human flourishing. We can see the necessary architecture: a flexible, relevant, human-centered redesign. But a map is not the territory, and the distance between our current industrial model and that future reality can feel vast. This final section of the anthology is dedicated to the mechanics of movement. It moves us from what we must build to how we actually build it, acknowledging that the path forward is not a straight line, but a process of co-creation, strategic risk-taking, and deep capacity building.

The journey begins by radically rethinking who holds the pen. We cannot design the future of learning for young people; we must do it with them. We ask: How do we authentically elevate youth co-design, ensuring their voices shape the solutions meant to serve them? Simultaneously, we explore parent empowerment, asking how families can be transformed from passive consumers of education into powerful drivers of demand for a system that values their children’s well-being. This extends to the broader ecosystem, where we must establish a community-engaged design process that turns transformation into a collective pursuit rather than a top-down mandate.

As we navigate this transition, we must be intentional about our tools. We ask what specific work is required to ensure we are harnessing AI for human flourishing, steering powerful technologies to expand human potential rather than diminish it.

Finally, we turn to the leaders navigating the messy middle of system transformation. We look at what it takes—at both the school and state levels—to break inertia. We introduce the critical concept of the split-screen strategy: How can leaders manage the necessities of the current system while simultaneously incubating the models of tomorrow? And, perhaps most importantly, we ask about capacity building toward change. What new muscles must our schools and educators build to sustain this shift?

These questions form the blueprint for action. They remind us that getting “there” is not about a single leap, but about the courageous, deliberate work of redesigning our systems, one decision at a time.